12 Questions for Sermon Run Through

In a previous post I talked about the benefits of a sermon run through (to read that post click here). In this post I want to share with you the twelve questions I ask my staff after sharing my message with them on Thursday (the Thursday before I preach the message).

1. Tell me what you liked about the message? What resonated with you the most?
2. Why should people care about this topic?
3. “Thanks God it’s over!” or “Wow, is it over already?” If it was long, where can I cut?
4. Are there pictures with the points? Remember: Don’t make a point without a picture.
5. What’s a good hook at the beginning that could capture people’s attention and get them engaged in what we’re talking about? Remember: It needs to be spiritually nutritious AND delicious!
6. What does culture teach on this subject? A preacher is a witness. The audience is a jury. They will be weighing Christ’s paradigm vs culture’s paradigm.
7. How’s the balance of “ought to” vs “how to.” Remember: Less ought to, more how to. Short on diagnosis. Long on remedy. Not the other way around.
8. Where’s the good news in this message? Remember: The gospel by definition is “good news.”
9. Are there any people groups that should be addressed in this message that weren’t? (i.e. single people, married people, young people, old people, men, women, the unsaved, etc.)
10. What’s the strategic plug in this message (i.e. water baptism, growth groups, etc)
11. What else? What other feedback do you have for me that wasn’t covered in questions 1-10?
12. Are there any errors in the lesson notes?